Skype in the classroom is a free service that provides resources and tools that teachers can use in their classrooms. The service includes over 2,000 projects from Skype in the classroom partners and other teachers. Projects are categorized by subject and student age group. The new partner organizations will add more projects to the service.

NASA's Digital Learning Center will provide opportunities for students to learn how to prepare a space vehicle for liftoff, help scientists and engineers explore the basic principles of matter, design their own spacesuit mission patch, discover what it's like to live and work in space, and learn the basics of robotics.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy and HMS Victory will provide mini-tours of the ship HMS Victory, from Admiral Nelson's cabin to the quarter deck, and let them see and discuss artifacts related to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The British Council will create opportunities for students in developing countries to interact with students in the rest of the world.

The Woodland Trust will send out 17,500 tree planting packs to schools and groups in the United Kingdom, provide information about caring for the trees, and help students learn about different types of trees.

Education through Expedition will provide virtual trips to Iceland and feature the youngest member of the Arctic Jubilee Expedition Oil Milroy as a guest speaker;

Choose2Matter is asking schools and teachers to share examples of creative ways of learning with one another.

These new projects add to existing Skype in the classroom projects from Penguin Books, Science Museum London, Microsoft, New York Philharmonic, Peace One Day Education, The National Museum of the Royal Navy, and VerbalizeIt.

Teachers can find additional information and sign up for Skype in the classroom for free on the organization's site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.

Whitepapers

Making the transition to a fully digital environment is always a challenge. When a school survey at Crowley Independent School District found the number of students using smart devices leapt from 50 percent to 75 percent in just two years, district leaders knew it was time “to meet digital natives where they are.”
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